Dash-board for vehicles



(No Model.)

G. W. POWELL, DASH BOARD FOR VEHICLES.

No. 434,198. Patented Aug. 12, 1-890.

wi'l nesses: la i V Jar/ 67116 8.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FE1cE.

GEORGE W. POWELL, OF LOOKPORT, NEWV YORK.

DASH-BOARD FOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 434,198, dated. August 12, 1890.

Application filed March 29, 1890. Serial Not 345,868. (N 0 model.)

To on whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. POWELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lockport, in the county of Niagara and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Dash-Boards, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the construction of dash-boards and wheel-guards for vehicles, and more especially to a dashboard and wheel-guard in which the covering consists of a substitute for leather.

Prior to my invention finished leather coverings have been secured to metallic dashframes by stitching; 'but by this method the stitches remain exposed to the action of the weather, which causes the same to fade and rot, rendering the dash-board unsightly and allowing the parts of the covering to split or become separated. Dash-boards have also been constructed of layers of paper or paperboard secured to opposite sides of the clashframe by cementing; but this construction is objectionable because the glue or cement becomes disintegrated by the action of the weather, causing the layers of the covering to split and warp.

My invention has for its object to produce a cheap, strong, and durable dash-board or Wheel-guard which shall be sightly in appearance and in which all pores and crevices are closed, rendering the dash impervious to water and preventing warping and bulging thereof.

The invention consists to these ends in securing the covering to the dash-frame in an uncoated state by stitching, and then coating and finishing the covering, thereby sealing the meeting edges of the covering, closing the stitch or needle holes and protecting the thread from decay.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of my improved dash-board. Fig. 2 is a vertical section thereof.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in both figures.

In constructing my improved dash-board a covering A, consisting, preferably, of manila-rope board or similar tough and flexible material, is placed in its raw, commercial, or uncoated condition on opposite sides of the metallic dash frame B and tightly held thereon by clamps applied to the contiguous edges of the covering. The covering is then firmly secured to the dash-frame by lines of stitching extending along opposite sides of the bars of the dash-frame, as shown in the drawings. After the covering has been stitched to the frame the clamps are removed and any well-known sizing or coating which is impervious to water is applied to the outer surfaces of the covering by dipping the covered frame into a vat of sizing, or by means of a brush, or in any other suitable manner. By this treatment the meeting edges of the covering and the needle-holes are tightly sealed, so as to effectually exclude water, and the stitches are covered and protected by the sizing, thereby preventing fading of the thread, retarding its decay, and lengthening the life of the covering. Then the sizing becomes dry, the covering is given several coats of finishing material, each coat being rubbed and polished, if necessary, thus imparting to the covering a rich black luster resembling that of a polished leather covering. I prefer to use as a finishing-coat a composition consisting of linseed-oil, asphaltum, Japan, and varnish [but any other finish may be employed, if desired.

'My improved dash-board possesses greater strength and is less liable to crack than a dash having a stitched-leather covering in which the thread is unprotected, and it is more durable than a cemented paper covering, as the stitching prevents splitting of the layers.

A covering of leathermay be applied to the (lash-frame in a raw uncoated condition and finished afterward according to my improved method; but I prefer to employ manila-rope board or a similar flexible substitute for leather, as the same is not only cheaper, but thinner and lighter, and therefore more easily stitched to the dash-frame.

I claim as my invention- A dash-board consisting of a rigid frame, a-

as set forth.

GEORGE W. POWELL. Witnesses:

I. ADELBERT BRONSON, D. A. DAVENPORT. 

